


The Alley

by Rubyspirit



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blood Magic, Blood and Violence, Dark Magic, Draco is a bad man, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Manipulation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Smut, Toxic Relationship, dark themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:27:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29824233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubyspirit/pseuds/Rubyspirit
Summary: Draco accomplished business man worked hard to clear the family name in the seven years since the war.Hermione is an unspeakable.Knockturn Alley was closed down and warded off in the wake of the war.The Ministry is in trouble, short on gold and in debt to other nations. So when Malfoy offers to purchase the Alley for an exorbitant amount of money with plans to regenerate the area, the Ministry sees it as a win-win situation. Everyone except Hermione Granger.Convinced the area is still dangerous, she tries to convince anyone who will listen that the wards should stay in place, that the Alley is dangerous. All she manages to achieve is finding herself placed working alongside Malfoy as a ministry representative, there to offer her expertise and advise the Ministry if anything dangerous is found.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	The Alley

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a very toxic relationship. Draco is not a good man. Proceed with caution

Hermione loved her job. It was varied and was constantly testing her. Usually it tested her mind or her magical ability; it would stretch her problem solving abilities. 

Today, it tested her patience. 

There was no way Kingsley would have signed off on this. She remembered how adamant he had been in the wake of the war. She had been there when they raised the wards, watching them close the place off like they did was what had pushed her towards the Department of Mysteries. 

Everyday brought something different when you were an Unspeakable. It meant you couldn't discuss your work outside the department but she never wanted to. She liked keeping the two separate. 

She specialised in curses and warding. That's why this document had made it to her desk.

She was being requested to aid in the removal of the wards she watched be raised; ones she felt should be left exactly where they were. 

The battle ended on May second, the war did not. The Ministry was rife with corruption, Dark Arts had been allowed to flourish. Nowhere more so than in Knockturn Alley. Once just a foreboding place, full of criminals and questionable items, it had become a thriving centre promoting the worst of what could be done with magic. All magic leaves traces, the thrum of magic coming from the Alley brought the hairs on your neck to a stand, goosebumps on your arms, and a sickly sweet taste that lingered for hours, polluting every breath. 

Just thinking about that place brought it back to her. The decision had been made to close it off, to seal it until the world was more stable, until they were ready to chase away the shadows that lingered in those most darkest of places. 

Much had changed in the last six years. The Wizarding World had settled into a life without war. Hermione had not forgotten, apparently, Kingsley had. No matter how things seemed, the darkness was always waiting for a chance to come back. Hermione grabbed all the relevant papers, storming out of her office to confront the man who had clearly taken leave of his senses. 

  
  


As she approached his office, his secretary was already opening the door for her to continue storming in. 

“Good afternoon, Miss Granger,” Kingsley said tiredly from behind his desk. 

“Miss Granger? I haven't heard those words from you for years. Am I meant to call you Minister Shacklebolt now?”

“Of course not, I just… I know why you're here, Hermione. I've been dreading this meeting,” Kingsley told her sighing. 

“This,” she began, holding up the memo she had been sent, “is… it's insane. What on earth are you thinking? That place should stay under it's warding.”

“We only ever intended for that to be a temporary solution until a later time, a time with more resources. We only have limited space available, we need that area. Tell me, admit it out loud, what's really bothering you about this,” Kingsley sat back into his chair, folding his hands into his lap. 

“Malfoy money. You're really going to reopen Knockturn Alley, a place of Dark Magic, by selling it to the Malfoy family.”

“This is Draco I'm selling to, not Lucius. He's not his father. You spoke at his trial, the last few years should have proved that he was worthy of that. He's a young man of excellent character who has selflessly, tirelessly, plowed his gold and energy into rebuilding the world after the war. Like Hogwarts, the improvements made there, you have to at least give him credit for those?” 

“I suppose,” Hermione replied, sinking into her seat. She could feel it already, the futility of her arguments. 

Her gut told her Malfoy was not to be trusted, but how could she convince anyone that the Wizarding World's new golden boy had malicious intentions? Rebuilding Hogwarts improved his image, his donations to St Mungo’s were nothing to be sniffed at either. However, what had gained him such overwhelming popularity, was rebuilding the Quidditch league, all of it, every team got a shiny new stadium and gold to kick them off when it looked like they would have to take a break of five years to make suitable repairs, Malfoy had them operational in less than a year. 

“What would make you feel better about this?” Kingsley asked her. 

“Someone from the Ministry has to be involved every step of the way, breathing down their necks, making sure they really are doing what they say they are,” Hermione demanded sitting upright. 

“Excellent idea. The job is yours.” Kingsley smiled at her. 

“What? No! Not me, that's not what I meant. I cannot do this,” Hermione said getting to her feet. 

“You are the perfect person to do this, in fact, I trust no one else with it. You're suspicious of them already, you won't be charmed by their gold or their good looks. Considering how everyone else sees the two of them, who else could be trusted to keep an eye on them, who would _you_ trust to watch them? You have the experience in curse breaking and other rare magics to be of assistance cleaning up the Dark Magic lingering there. You are the best person for this job, you just don't want to work with _him_ for some reason.” 

“Of course I don't want to work with him. He hates me,” Hermione whined. “The other one isn't much better, Malfoy’s puppet lawyer, finding whatever way he can to get Malfoy whatever he wants no matter the cost.”

“Enough. You aren't children anymore. You know, Mr Malfoy speaks highly of your skills when your name is mentioned.” 

“Of course he does. I'm a Muggle-born. He can't be seen to be anything less than complimentary. He's still a prejudiced bastard, I just know it.” 

“We can't condemn him based on your gut,” Kingsley reminded her, a smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. 

“Why not?” Hermione whined dropping back into her seat, pout once more in place. 

“Bring me evidence and we can do something. Evidence can only be gathered if you are there, watching his every move. Take the job, Hermione. Take it and bring me evidence that he's plotting something and I will help you take him down but until then, I will continue to treat him as the philanthropist he claims to be.” Kingsley sat forward in his chair, leaning over his desk to fix her with his penetrating gaze that never failed to win her compliance. Today was no exception. 

“Fine. Fine, I'll do it. I'll open the damn Alley and help him to clean it up, but if I'm right, I get the pleasure of saying ‘I told you so’,” Hermione concludes. 

“As if anyone could stop you,” Kingsley said laughing. 

Hermione got to her feet, gathered her papers and what little was left of her dignity. Without another word, she turned on her heel, leaving to start preparing for the task ahead of her. Her heels clacked against the stone floor as she hurried back to the sanctuary of her office. 

* * *

  
  
  


Her office had been her space for four years. It's more of a home to her than her flat. She spends more of her time here than anywhere else. But now when she entered her office, the comforting feel had left. She would have to meet with him the next day, she needed to prepare, but all she could do is stand in her doorway, taking in every detail. 

There were a few projects she would have to pass on to other Unspeakables. She ran through the list of names in her head of who can handle which project, everyone has their own specialities here. Luckily, none of the projects she's working on at the moment were so complex that the others would need her help. 

Once she finished with reallocating her projects, she would need to dig out the documents from the closure of the Alley. Clearing it would take weeks at best. The thought made her tired. 

Hermione would be facing months of working with Malfoy and his minion. Malfoy’s lawyer and closest friend was also an ex-Death Eater. Adrian Pucey had been above them at Hogwarts but the pair seem to have bonded during their time serving Voldemort. That's part of what made her trust them even less. 

Not that Hermione didn't believe people could change, she did. She really did. But there was something about those two; too slick, too clean, too… contrived. 

* * *

Sighing, Adrian threw the letter down onto his desk. He was good at presenting news in a positive light, but this… this he would have trouble with. 

Draco was going to lose his shit. 

Glancing at the door that joined their offices he readied himself for the coming battle. They finally had approval and that was what really mattered. They had already discussed the possibility that the Ministry might impose restrictions on them of some kind. They had thought, worst case scenario, that they would have some low ranking ministry nobody that they would have to throw a spell or two at to keep them under control. That wouldn't be an option now. 

Adrian checked his wand was still stowed away just inside his sleeve before getting up to take Draco his letter. Draco never opened his own mail. They referred to Adrian as his lawyer publicly, but these days he seemed to be more of a personal assistant with legal training. Not that he minded, the money was good and they were working towards a common goal. It made sense for Draco to be the front man of their act, it meant people wouldn’t be paying such close attention to Adrian’s own activities. Something neither of them wanted to happen. 

Approaching the door, he hesitated. Draco had been the one to hire their new receptionist. He almost felt bad for the girl. Their receptionists only lasted as long as it took for Draco to get between their legs. Next time, he'd have to make sure they hired a bloke. Listening carefully he could hear paper rustling. No silencing charm had been put up so he slowly pushed the door open. 

“I wondered how long you'd hover there. It's either bad news or you thought I was ‘busy’ it's only been three days, I don't work that fast,” Draco laughed. 

“Ah well actually, it was both,” Adrian said, dropping the letter in front of Draco. 

“I don't read mail, summarise it for me,” Draco sighed slumping into his chair, closing his eyes. 

“No.” 

Draco sat up abruptly, “You never tell me no. It's one of the things I like about you.” 

“I'm not uttering those words,” Adrian chuckled. 

Looking across the desk at his friend, Draco lifted the dropped parchment. 

“Ah,” Draco said sitting up straight, eyes flashing across the parchment fast. Adrian watched his friend read the parchment once, twice, and then a third time before carefully folding it in half, then half again. His fingers traced along the sharp edge he’d created. “I take it there is no way out of this?” 

“If there was a loophole, I would have handled it quietly.”

Draco nodded turning over the parchment in his hands, tapping it against his lips. Adrian hated it when Draco got this quiet. He sat and waited for the envietable temper tantrum. 

“We won’t be able to buy her,” Draco stated. “We can’t risk cursing her into submission. Are you sure we can’t get her replaced with someone we _can_ manipulate?”

“She’s the best in the field. Warding and Dark Curses. If we try to get her replaced it will look like we are prejudiced against Mudbloods or that you aren’t over your childhood spat.”

“Are appearances worth having that nosy, interfering bitch hovering over us? She _hates_ us,” Draco whined, pouting a little. 

“There is one way to manipulate her… you won’t like it though.” 

“I’m sure whatever it, I’ve- we’ve done worse,” Draco laughed, flexing his exposed lower arm, causing the mark there to move. 

“Fuck her,” Adrian suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. “And by that i do mean literally.” 

Draco stopped laughing. 

“No. Not a chance. You do it,” Draco said quickly. Adrian laughed. 

“It’s very well known she’s not my type, Potter though... “ 

“I can’t believe you’re contemplating fucking Gryffindors.”

“We’re a little old to be bringing Hogwarts houses into this,” Adrian admonished. 

“Once a snake always a snake,” Draco said sharply. 

“Of course. But come now Draco, you hardly seem picky about the women you use, why not Granger? She could be useful to us if suitably distracted and confused. She’s not bad looking these days, many of the men at the Ministry are interested in her, not that she notices.” Adrian watched his friend carefully as he spoke. 

“I wouldn’t touch that Mudblood if she was the last woman alive,” Draco scoffed. 

“I thought you would do anything for the cause?” Adrian reminded his friend. 

“My dick is shrivelling at the thought.” Draco shuddered. 

“We have to meet with her tomorrow. Think about it, sex is the easiest way to manipulate any woman. We cannot buy her, we won’t get away with any curse, jinx or potion; she already mistrusts us. She won’t respond to threats. We can’t swap her for another ministry official without a good reason, something we don’t have right now. So if you have any better suggestions, I’m open to hearing them. This puts the whole project at risk. Seduce her. Please,” he begged. 

“You never say please,” Draco said slumping back into his seat. 

“I am now. We’re supposed to be partners in this. You fuck women all the time. So get over whatever the hell your problem with her is,” Adrian said getting to his feet and heading to his office. As his hand closed around the knob, Draco’s voice halted him. 

“There’s one element you’re forgetting,” Draco said tiredly. 

“Oh.” Adrian turned around to see his friend still sat at his desk, parchment still between his fingers. “What might that be?”

“The likelihood of Granger spreading her legs for me. The Giant Squid would probably be less disgusting to her than her childhood bully.”

“Oh Draco, don’t underestimate yourself. She touched you once, years ago.”

“The bitch slapped me,” Draco scoffed.

“Foreplay.” Adrian shrugged, he laughed as he turned back around. The last thing he heard as the door closed behind him was the whoosh of flames as Draco incinerated the offending parchment. 

  
  
  



End file.
